Hawaii is one of the states that has spent the most federal funding on transit projects. Photo via Wikipedia.

Welcome to “Research Recap,” our series highlighting recent reports, studies and other findings in sustainable transportation policy and practice, in case you missed it.

Transit Funding

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a transit-oriented nonprofit that advocates for increased mobility in the states of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, released a report, “Tracking State Transportation Dollars,” detailing federal spending on transportation projects. The report and its interactive map detail proportional spending on transportation, finding that Hawaii and New York have spent the most on transit—nearly $20 billion combined. Nebraska and Mississippi, the states that spent the least on transit, invested a total of $108.5-million.

Urban GDP

The U.S. Conference of Mayors released its U.S. Metro Economies report, “Outlook-Gross Metropolitan Product, and Critical Role of Transportation Infrastructure,” detailing GDP growth by metropolitan regions. The report shows that several America urban economies produce more GDP than entire countries. For example, the D.C. metro area’s economy is about the size of South Africa’s. However, the report notes, U.S. infrastructure growth is not large enough to sustain economic gains across other sectors.

By contrast, 16- to 24-year-old drivers in the United Kingdom, combined with cyclists, are increasing traffic-related mortality rates in the the U.K. for the first time since 2003, according to a new House of Commons report. Though these findings are not without tragedy, the U.K. also has one of the lowest rates of traffic fatalities in the European Union, with Sweden being the member-state with the lowest traffic-induced mortality rate over the last decade.

Japanese and U.S. companies team up on smart grid project in Maui, Hawaii. Photo by Marks Jonathan.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: mobility, quality of life, environment, public space, and technology and innovation.

Mobility

Smartmatic signed a US$ 370 million deal to implement and operate the ticket collection and fleet management areas of Colombia’s new bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The BRT will service the district of Cartagena and its surrounding areas.

Malaysia’s traffic congestion problem could be alleviated by implementing a BRT system, contra-flow bus lanes and comprehensive sidewalks, according to Muhammad Zulkarnain Hamzah of the Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit.

Quality of Life

Put on your helmets and roll-up those pant legs—today is the U.S. National Bike to Work Day! Bike commuting has increased nationwide by 44 percent over the past 10 years.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released a new report purporting the benefits of active transportation. Among the report’s most memorable findings is that “physical inactivity contributes to one in eight deaths annually among New Yorkers aged 30 and older.”

The Vulnerable User Bill was officially signed into law by Washington State’s governor, Chris Gregoire. The law’s penalties include fines of up to $5,000 to those who seriously injure or kill “a more vulnerable road user.”

Bicycle illumination, and consequently bicycle safety, was improved by a recently developed bicycle lighting system, Project Aura. The system consists of lights that attach to wheel rims, making bikes visible at night from any perspective.

Environment

U.K. Transport Minister Norman Baker announced a new carbon calculator tool for use in aiding the development of local transport projects.

The body heat of commuters will be captured and transferred to the heating of buildings through a new system in Paris and Stockholm.

Farmingthecity.net, an interactive website showcasing urban farming projects, was launched by the European urban research institute CITIES. The project aims to encourage the development of local urban food systems.

Farmers’ markets in Prague have blossomed, growing from zero to 20 markets that feature local farmers’ produce within the past 12 months.

Technology and Innovation

General Motors is revving up production of its all-electric Chevy Volt, planning to increase production from 16,000 units this year to 60,000 units in 2012.

St. Albert Transit became one of the first Canadian transit agencies to offer real-time bus arrival information. In the United States, LA Metro launched its real-time bus information system this week, as well.

Fiat’s 875cc TwinAir engine was honored with a number of awards including Green Engine of the Year, Best New Engine of the Year and the International Engine of the Year.

Chiltern Railways of the U.K. launched the first fully mobile ticketing platform, allowing rail users to use mobile devices to buy, download and even scan tickets. “This innovation in ticketing is a first within the rail industry,” said Thomas Ableman, marketing director of Chiltern Railways.

"If aliens were looking down on Los Angeles they would come to the conclusion that the ultimate life form is the automobile." From BMW's Activate the Future series.

Welcome back to TheCityFix Picks, our series highlighting the newsy and noteworthy of the past week. Each Friday, we’ll run down the headlines falling under TheCityFix’s five themes: mobility, quality of life, environment, public space, and technology and innovation.

Mobility

Obama’s transit upgrade proposal, if approved, will cost $556 billion, the largest amount for such projects in U.S. history. Even now, there is a$134 billion gap between sources of funding for transport infrastructure and funding needed to maintain and improve the current system.

Hawaii’s most expensive public works project, Honolulu’s new rail system, broke ground this Tuesday. By 2019 the system will connect the fast-growing West Oahu region to the city’s core.

A lawyer based in Cape Town, South Africa developed a campaign, called Rock Girl, to plant benches in the city that are literally and figuratively symbolic of female voices, safety and non-gendered public spaces. The first bench was installed this Wednesday.

Targets to improve average fuel economy by 50 percent for new cars by 2030 and for the entire global light duty vehicle fleet by the same amount by 2050 is achievable using “existing, cost-effective technologies,” according to a new report commissioned by the Global Fuel Economy Initiative.